No B2C — or business-to-customer — company could survive without some technological platform. Whether by utilizing social media or an interactive website, customers in the modern age want to be able to do everything on their phones if at all possible. B2B, or business-to-business, companies are finding themselves increasingly going directly to customers and are thus forced to leap into technology.

Technology doesn’t just help with marketing, either, as B2Bs are quickly learning. Utilization of technology can help the company run smoother and change how business itself is done. To get a grasp of what technology can do for B2B, here are a few examples:

Many people are familiar with the gig economy and its influence on the transportation sector. Now, anyone with a car can apply to drive for Uber or Lyft and potentially make money with their vehicle by getting people in their communities where they need to go.

But, the gig economy is thoroughly disrupting the IT industry as well. Let’s take a look at some of the things already happening.

SaaS or software-as-a-service platforms specialize in mass data processing in more ways than one. The content alone is stored remotely and streamed — as data packets no less — to a remote machine.

But the technology has also evolved to the point where entire systems are delivered via the cloud. Think a sales facilitation and analytics platform that handles everything from product invoicing to customer experiences.

The progress of technology has forced many businesses to improve just so they can keep up. Robots and automation are driving some of this pace, but there are far more sophisticated options only the Internet and similar technology can provide.

Businesses are moving their entire structures to the cloud to become more high-tech and speed up their manufacturing. Becoming a cloud-native company is not an immediate or easy task, but the long-term rewards are worth the price.

Many consumers already do most of their business online anyway. Becoming cloud-native shouldn’t be a company’s first step into online business, but rather the goal.

While data security was never a luxury or afterthought — it’s always been a crucial component of digital operations — nearly every business, organization and individual has to worry about it these days, from smartphones and wearable tech to smart home devices and IOT equipment. Just about anything and everything is connected, tapped into a nearby network and both collecting and creating data.

Every day our lives — personal and professional — are spent more and more online, and that amounts to lots of data and digital content. But alongside that, major data breaches and cyber attacks are also commonplace. We need to come up with a better solution for protecting all that information and fast. That’s where blockchain technology fits into the equation.

B2B and B2C networking are two very different things. What works for one may not work for another. The prime time to network for B2B is at events, conferences and workshops, and they should regularly be frequented to make a strong network of like-minded entrepreneurs.

At events, you can showcase your skills and talents directly to prospective businesses. Events are good for everyone, and the popularity of them can make the networking world intimidating. Here are a few things to remember when considering rubbing elbows with B2B event veterans.

Business-to-business corporations, or B2B, don’t often focus on individual customers. A business-to-customer corporation, or B2C, is where the consumer usually interacts. As progress continues to move forward and people become more proactive with their spending and usage habits, B2B spaces are having to focus on customer appeal and approval more than ever before.

When a business interacts with another business, they don’t focus on the end product for the customer. Because of the oversight, customers with a problem have to relay their complaints to middlemen instead of the business. With their complaints not being seen to, consumers begin to use other businesses, and the B2B loses money.

Transformative technologies are shaping the world around us, primarily for the better. Just consider conventional retail and commerce channels, for example. Customers now get to take advantage of a vast selection of convenience options that were never available in the past. You can buy products online and have them shipped — for free — to a local store. You can also leverage cross-platform experiences, where your online shopping habits and preferences are carried over to brick-and-mortar.

These kind of new and innovative experiences are only possible with modern technologies. That includes IoT or the Internet of Things, connected devices, big data and analytics, machine learning, and even mobile-friendly apps or services.

What are some real-world examples of the most innovative ways businesses are putting modern technology to use? Let’s explore further.

For the most part, the B2B industry has been largely isolated from most of the changes happening in today’s workforce. Fortunately — or unfortunately, for some — that’s no longer the case. The Millennials are here, and they’re kickstarting considerable changes in the industry just by being who they are.

As older generations age out and the new workforce floods with Millennials and younger workers, many aspects of business are seeing something of a transformation. Part of this change has to do with modern technologies, yes, but it also has to do with that new, separate audience.

Millennials aren’t just changing the workforce, either — they’re also shaping the customer side of the equation, as younger generations become the majority of B2B clientele.

Moving data to a cloud can be a benefit of both time and money. A properly working cloud is efficient, improves productivity, unburdens staff and can accommodate data backup. The only downside of moving data to the cloud is making sure you pick the right cloud provider. Choosing a provider can be difficult, so here are nine basic questions you should ask to make your search easier.